


The Way Light Travels

by Kaelynisfree



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Banner/Betty Ross (past) - Freeform, F/M, Stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-03 21:31:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5307575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaelynisfree/pseuds/Kaelynisfree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been along time since they've seen one another. Bruce has to decide if he will cling to what was or finally let go.</p><p>Past Bruce/Betty</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Way Light Travels

It's not like he's actually star gazing, but when he sees her, he sees universes and galaxies. Bright and chaotic; creation and myth. The ring on her finger glitters like a star a million miles away; a light from the past that is just now reaching him. 

"You look well, Bruce." She is genuine, true, and he will always love her for that. He doesn't try to hide the fact that just the sound of her voice affects him.  He knows that she would never mask her reactions so he tries not to either. She's not a star, or even a galaxy, but a nebula with the potential to become an entire universe.

"You do too, Betty."

She smiles and pulls him into a hug,  weaving her arms so that his settle around her shoulders.  Everything starts and ends with her. And maybe that's the real problem. She's the big bang. The beginning of the universe.

"Don't make me ask all the questions Bruce. Your life is exciting. Tell me about it!"

Invasive and beautiful; calm and creation.

"Well, I live in Avengers Tower. I work in the lab there with Tony Stark. He basically gave me a place to stay in the city for free and-" 

She laughs, throwing her head back slightly, her mouth open as full sound bellows out. She's nothing but  the truth and what follows.

"You're like a kept man!"

The farther way you get from start and the more  time  passes, the harder it is to see that she started it all. 

"I am not!"

And oh how he wants to see where it all leads. 

"Yes you are! Tony Stark's kept man! Did you ever imagine when we were going to school that you'd be living for free at a Stark Tower, conducting research in a lab built for you? I mean, not for free, I assume you get an allowance." She gently elbows him and he knows she's joking. Her smile is familiar and comforting, but so distant. 

He laughs again and knows that he won’t be able to see where she goes, what she will accomplish. He's so far away from her now he could blink and miss her entire life.  

"I missed you. It's good to see your face again."

He smiles. The big bang theory is just that. A theory. T here's plenty of evidence supporting it. Saying it's the truth, that it's real. But not all theories become facts. Sometimes things turn out differently than projected. Variables change, new ones show up and alter the outcome. Not for the worse- just not what was expected in the beginning.

She hugs him, tight this time, still laughing. "This time, don't be a stranger, okay?"

He dips his chin with a small snort, meets her eyes, and gives her a half smile. "I won't. I promise."  

Except, it is a lie. He’s not sure why he chooses to lie to her, but finds he can’t muster the strength to tell the truth. Like there was an unknown force keeping them apart. They’ve moved in such different directions that any energy they had was fading, crumbling in on itself.That was how universes were created and destroyed.  The energy once released begins to fade and everything crumbles in on itself and until bam. A brand new universe. New rules new people. Even the Hulk couldn’t stop the force of new world being created. 

 

She places a kiss on his forehead before releasing him from the hug. The initial explosions occurs and expansion beings. It’s quick; just a flash and everything is new. 

Maybe it was a good thing they lived in different worlds now. In the old one, he couldn’t imagine living without her. But in the new one, as the space between them settles and grows, he thinks he could perhaps find a way to live without. 

 

 

 

 


End file.
